Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today attended an event marking the completion of the normal work of the South Tube of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel, which goes under the Karnaphuli River in Chattogram. He also officially announced the completion of the south side of the tunnel.
The PM attended the event organized by the Bridges Division virtually from his official residence Gana Bhavan.
The construction work of the southern end of the Karnaphuli tunnel is fully completed, while the work of the northern end of the tunnel is 99 per cent complete.
It is the first tunnel under the river in South Asia, which is expected to contribute 0.166 per cent to the growth of the national economy with a boost to employment, tourism and industrialisation. The Karnaphuli tunnel is expected to significantly improve the traffic situation in Chattogram.
According to project sources, two approach roads of 5.35 km each are being constructed on the eastern and western sides of the tunnel. The length of the tunnel is 3.32km, and it is being built at a depth of 18 to 31 meters under the Karnaphuli river.
According to officials, the overall progress of the project so far is 94 per cent. It will take two more months to complete the rest of the work.
The Karnaphuli Tunnel is being built at a cost of Taka 10,374 crore. The tunnel project is being implemented with joint funding from the governments of Bangladesh and China (G2G). China’s Exim Bank is providing a loan of Taka 5,913 crore while the Bangladesh government is funding the rest.
The Karnaphuli River divides Chattogram into two parts. The tunnel – being built following the “one city, two town” model like Shanghai in China – will connect the port city in the north to Anwara Upazila in the south.
China is providing technical and financial support to the project. At present, fire fighting, lighting and control management systems are being installed inside the tunnel. Besides this, 52 irrigation pumps are also being installed so that the rising water level during monsoon and natural calamities do not block the tunnel, said project officials.
The project is being implemented by the Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA).
Two tubes have been built adjacent to the tunnel under the Karnaphuli river. Lights, pumps and drainage systems are being installed simultaneously in the tunnel while a 772 meter flyover has also been built.
At present, the construction of toll plaza is going on in full swing at the Anwara end of the tunnel.
Project officials are expecting that the Karnaphuli tunnel will revolutionize the road communication scenario between Dhaka-Chattagram-Cox’s Bazar. Chattogram’s Anwara has started seeing a change in its fortunes through the setting up of new industries on both sides of the tunnel’s access road in the upazila.
According to the official, at least 10 large industrial clusters and 150 businessmen have advanced to set up factories in various sectors – power, petroleum, apparel, shipbuilding, fish processing, steel, cement and oil refinery – on the southern coast of Karnaphuli. Land has been bought. Information
The tunnel will reduce the distance between Cox’s Bazar and Chattogram by 40 km.
The construction work of the tunnel was inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 24 February 2019.
On October 14, 2016, PM Sheikh Hasina and Chinese President Xi Jinping jointly laid the foundation stone of the Karnaphuli tunnel.
In November 2015, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) had approved the multi-lane road tunnel project at a cost of Rs 8,446.64 crore and the completion of the project was set for December 2021.
The cost was later increased to Rs 10,374.42 crore and the project duration was extended till December 2022.
In the latest revision, the duration of the project has been extended till December 30, 2023, and the cost has been increased by Rs 164 crore.
According to the survey conducted in 2013, before the construction of the tunnel, 63 lakh vehicles will be able to pass through the tunnel annually. Accordingly, about 17260 vehicles can run in a day. By 2025, an average of 28,305 vehicles will pass through the Karnaphuli tunnel every day.